Blue Canoe finalist for state’s top beef honor

This weekend, Adam Morgan of Tupelo will find out whether or not he has the best burger in the state.
Morgan, owner of Blue Canoe restaurant on North Gloster, was notified about a month ago that he was one of the top 10 finalists in the Mississippi Beef Council’s “Mississippi’s Best Burger Contest.”
“Somebody posted a link on Facebook to the contest on the state cattlemen’s association’s website and that’s how I found out about the contest,” Morgan said. “I told my customers if they liked our burgers, then needed to go online and vote for it.”
And they did.
A total of 1,100 votes were cast for 150 restaurants across the state. The winner, which will be announced Saturday at the Mississippi Cattlemen’s Association Convention and Dixie National Farm Expo, will receive a $1,000 advertising package from the Mississippi Beef Council to recognize the accomplishment.
“I like to think people voted for our burger because it’s good and because it’s a good value,” Morgan said. “You get two ground beef patties dressed any way you want, and there’s no extra charge, not for cheese or bacon or anything else. Putting a fried egg on there is real popular now.”
A burger with fries is $8.
The Blue Canoe actually offers three different burgers on its menu. The Blue Canoe is two patties dressed any way you like. The Surf ‘n Turf is two patties topped with crawfish, Cheddar cheese and a sweet chili sauce. The Smash Burger is two patties made from a mixture of ground chuck, Benton’s bacon and steak scraps, and dressed.
A panel of judges was to anonymously visit the restaurant and try a burger. Morgan’s not sure if they’ve been in his restaurant yet or not.
“And if they did, I don’t know which burger they tried,” he said. “They’re all good. The Blue Canoe is probably the best-seller. It’s been on our menu since Day 1.”
ginna.parsons@journalinc.com